5 Steps for Women at the Top to Lead in Uncertainty
Nicola Skorko ??
Helping Women in Telecoms Get Promoted and Become Stand out Leaders, Whilst Staying True to Themselves | Trailblazer 5 Places Jan| DEI Report & Plan | Equity Workshop | 000's global client | English Channel Swimmer ??♀?
The only thing that seems to have been constant in the workplace the past few years has been change and uncertainty.
First there was lockdown and the never knowing what was coming next until it was actually happening.
Then coming out the other side, creating a new normal and having to adapt to hybrid working and all the other changes that resulted from the pandemic.?
Since then we have had to handle a war, the loss of our queen, societal unrest, a cost of living crisis and a global recession…amongst other things!
And now, particularly in the current challenging state of the telecoms and tech industry, budgets are being frozen, leading to a reduction in OpEx spending and headcount freezes. Restructures often follow, usually leading into redundancies which causes obvious worry, anxiety and stress. This makes it harder for people to perform to their best despite the mounting pressure on employees to deliver, save costs, and increase revenue.?
From a leadership perspective that has meant huge differences and challenges in how to lead teams and support them to be their best selves and do their best work.
Unfortunately the future continues to look uncertain and leaders need to understand the human and brain processes behind what the impact of uncertainty is so you can lead your team through it… with certainty to counteract the uncertainty!
The neuroscience behind uncertainty
The brain loves certainty as well as repetition and response. It loves knowing the same things are going to happen again and again because in that repetition the brain feels safe. It knows that you have survived up to this point because of those things happening.?
When that happens, from your perspective, you’re going to be able to think much more logically and reasonably because you have that certainty and safety.?
However, when you’re in uncertain times, you are going to go back to your ‘animal brain’ which is much less rational and moves a lot quicker. It was the earliest part of the brain to develop, back from when we were cave people, and it responds in a really primal way in an attempt at creating the safety and certainty your brain loves. This is the part responsible for triggering your fight, flight or freeze response.
This means, when there’s too much change or uncertainty at once, the brain goes back to what it knows best… your animal brain and primal reaction.
When you and your team are pushed into this state, feelings of anxiety, worry and lack of trust are heightened, creating a disconnection between you.?
It can also lead to you struggling to sleep, losing your focus or concentration and feeling more easily triggered by things that you wouldn’t normally be. You may find your team is more emotional than usual or reacting more, alternatively some people may become more introverted and take a quiet step back.?
It’s important to realise this isn’t about you being a poor leader or that your team isn't responding in an inappropriate way, it’s simply because we are all human and they are just acting from their ‘animal’ brain.?
Therefore to counteract this, you need to create a sense of repetition, certainty and prediction and response so that you’re not getting bogged down by any uncertainty.
5 Steps to Lead in Uncertainty
1. Creating certainty for yourself and your team
When the world around you is so uncertain and the future is unclear, you can still find ways to create consistency for yourself and your team.?
One thing you can control is your time, so create consistency in your structure. Think about how your week flows and make sure you have that sense of repetition your brain loves.?
What are your non-negotiables in a week? Get them in place and make it a priority that you make them a regular habit. Reflect on past times when you felt your best, identify why, and then do more of that!
As a leader in uncertain times you are going to need resilience, energy and a clarity of thinking to lead your team and the business through.?
2. Share and own any uncertainty you have
Even if you are uncertain, you can create certainty by sharing and owning that. So if there’s very senior level discussions going on about the strategy and restructures but you don’t know the details or you can’t know yet… share that with your team! Let them know you will update them when you know.?
Being open, honest and transparent helps build confidence and reduces fear of the worst-case scenario. If you're not open with your team, they may get stuck in their own minds, catastrophise and cause unnecessary anxiety… which might be enough for some people to leave the team.
The best thing you can do is share and own what you can, even if it's acknowledging you don't know something.
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3. Create a point of contact and consistent structure
Another way to create certainty is to ensure there is a regular structure of support in place. Go back to the basics and think about how you’re going to provide a point of contact for your team.
How often are you gonna have your one-to-ones? How can people contact you outside of these? How often are team meetings? Have you created opportunities for people to connect outside of work?
Brené Brown talks about something called ‘daring leadership’ which is a move away from the more traditional and directive style of leadership, towards a more servant leadership approach. It emphasises being open to questions and collaboration and focuses on a more collective leadership and willingness to learn.?
It’s all about creating a consistent point of connection for your team to share their feelings, questions and any worries they, or you, may have.?
4. Let go of the need for perfection?
Alongside embracing transparency and being open and honest with your team, in times of uncertainty it helps to let go of the need for absolute perfection and shoot for progress instead. Focus on failing forward and making mistakes, owning any uncertainty and knowing that course correction is always an option.
When there’s a period of uncertainty or transformation like a restructure, you still have to deliver in the day to day. By knowing that mistakes might happen and taking the opportunity to learn from them when they do helps reduce uncertainty and build trust and connection within teams.?
Make time to get to know the person behind the work, and make it clear it’s not just about deliverables. Try to understand what pressure they’re under at home and at work and encourage the idea of progress over perfection.
5. Lead by example
As a leader during uncertain times, it's important to focus on what you can control and think about what behaviour you want to role model.
Do you want to be anxious and overwhelmed, or do you want to be taking control of what you can, being clear on creating structure and routine, and having openness and honesty with your team?
A useful model to follow during times of uncertainty is the ‘Sphere of Control’ model, also known as the locus of control.
The three circle represent three areas:?
The more you focus your time, love and energy in the first two circles the more certainty you can create in your life.
Want to know more?
I talked more about how to lead through uncertainty in an episode of the Women at the Top of Telecoms and Tech podcast.
Nic?
P.S If you need my help supporting women in your organisation, leading through uncertainty and closing the gender pay gap you can contact me below.